Unmasked
by blueturtlepower4ever
Summary: After a vicious attack by Slash, Leo is left to die on a rooftop. One of his enemies finds him, however, and to both of their surprise, they take him in and patches him up. But Leo's wounds are serious, so serious he can't leave for fear of hurting himself even more. So he's stuck with his enemy. It can get awkward. But maybe, just maybe, he can change his captor for the better.
1. Chapter 1

It had been another stressful patrol. Mikey had been playing with a ball that "accidentally" kept hitting the other turtle's heads, Raph had been complaining about the lack of "bad guys to beat up", and Donnie had spent the entire time in an extremely unhelpful happy daze. Needless to say, Leo was grateful when he could finally send his brothers home so he could be alone to vent and unwind.

With a guilty sigh of relief, Leo waved goodbye to his brothers and started running the rooftops towards the bank on 47th and Washington. The height of the building offered an amazing view of the skyline and relative quiet to think.

But he never made it to the bank. Halfway there, a large figure stepped out of the shadows in front of him and swung a huge, blunt object at his head.

Only his acute reflexes saved Leo from getting his face mashed in. As it was, Leo's right shoulder was hit hard, the spikes digging into his flesh, his bones shattering, and green-tinted blood oozing out. He was thrown back with a shout of pain. With his uninjured arm, he reached down into his belt and pressed the panic button on hisT-phone before a huge foot kicked it out of his hand. As he helplessly watched Slash's pointed face with its evil, twisted, INSANE grin loom over him, he prayed his brothers would come soon.

Leo felt blow after blow land hard on his plastron, scratch after scratch tear down his face and arms. He did his best fending off the blows, but there wasn't much he could do with only one hand (his swords had fallen out and over the edge at some point and Slash had his legs pinned).

He screamed in agony as Slash twisted his injured shoulder and pummeled his shell. He felt rivers of tears stream down his cheeks and shell as he wailed in absolute suffering. He had never felt so much pain, so much physical hurt. He guessed his ankle was at least sprained and his shoulder definitely broken. The rest of his body was more ache than muscle or bone, his skin more bruised-toned than green.

After an eternity, Slash picked him up by the back of his shell and dangled him over the edge.

"It would be so easy and merciful to drop you right now." He rasped. He flung Leo back onto the solid rooftop, though, smirking at his whimpers of pain. "But I won't. I would rather relish at the thought of your traitorous brothers sobbing over their dying leader. And you will be dying by the time they arrive. You're losing quite a bit of blood."

Slash reached out a monsterous hand. Leo recoiled, thinking he was going to attack again, be instead felt his mask being torn off his face.

"Goodbye, Leonardo." The mutant turtle cackled, and everything faded to black nothingness.

**No, he's not dead, so don't kill me! Updates will be slow because I'm borrowing my sisters tablet, but I promise to be as fast as I can. Please review in Pandora's box below, but be kind, this is my first published story. Thanks for reading.**

**-Katana (the only nickname I like given to me by my annoying friends)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here it is, my second chapter! Wa-hooo! I hope you all like it. Please review! I know what I want to happen, but I'm open to suggestions! Enjoy!**

CHAPTER 2

Karai held up a clenched fist to signal to the Foot Bots behind her to stop. She could see something glinting on a rooftop a couple of blocks away. This wouldn't have been unusual except for one thing. It was glinting green.

'Perhaps it's one of the missing mutagen containers.' She thought. She gave the signal for her robots to follow at a distance and began leaping above alleys and streets. As she got closer, she realized her mistake. It wasn't a mutagen; it was a mutant. A mutant turtle, to be precise, lying on its side.

She was wary as she approached, but the turtle didn't stir. There was no mask, yet she could see it was one of Splinter's deciphals, she just didn't know which one. He appeared to be unconscious and she reached his side, she saw why.

The turtle was severely bruised, had many, MANY scrapes and cuts, and a gaping, huge wound on his right shoulder that was oozing a river of blood. He was bleeding everywhere, in fact, and with a sickening lurch in her stomach, Karai realized that that had been what was gleaming. His greenish blood.

She rolled the turtle onto his back, er, shell, and study his face. It took a minute ('No chip in the shell, no freckles, no missing tooth...'), but she realized it was Leo lying broken and injured in front of her.

She let at a gasp at the realization. Somehow it being Leo affected her more than if it were one of his brothers. She stared in fansinated horror at the brown and black bruise on his cheek and the blood trickling out of the corner of his mouth.

She shook herself. Staring would accomplish nothing.

What should she do?

This was the perfect opportunity to finish him, to exact her revenge on Hamato Yoshi and pay him back for betraying her trust. But looking at Leo's battered form, she couldn't bring herself to draw her sword.

"Crud." She hissed. The only opportunity to attack Leo and definitely win she's ever had, and she didn't have the guts to do it.

'No. I'm too honorable to attack when he can't defend himself.' She corrected herself, a little shocked she was thinking like that.

Okay, door #2. Do nothing. Let his brothers find him and take care of it. Karai pursed her lips. That could take hours and at the rate Leo was losing blood, he could be dead in two.

'And I'm just sitting here letting him bleed out.' She scolded.

She scooted down and unraveled the dojo wraps on his feet. Finding them surprisingly free of dirt and only a little bloodstained (compared to the wraps on his arms), she used one of them to wipe away as mush blood as possible and the other to bandage his shoulder.

'Okay, now what?' She thought. The bandage was only a quick, temporary fix; already blood was seeping through. Again, she thought of just doing nothing, but, AGAIN, she came to the conclusion that Leo needed serious medical attention NOW and had no time to waste waiting for his brothers. So that just left door #3.

"Foot bots. Gently pick up this turtle and follow me back to the dojo. Be extremely careful. He's injured and I don't want anymore damage done."

As one of her robots bent down to pick Leo up, she almost changed her mind. But then she looked at his face. He looked so different without his mask. Vulnerable. Helpless. And with the scared, hurt expression and tears staining his face, he looked almost like a child, and Karai felt in her heart that she couldn't leave him to almost certainly die.

She once again cursed for being so darn soft, but lead the way back.

**Yeah, it's Karai. I know, I'm a secret hopeless romantic. I'm thinking this will be kinda like Beauty and the Beast in a way. The question is, whose the beast? :-) Please review in the transdimmensional portal below and give me something to think about during my boring school day.**

**-Katana**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3! Yay! This one is longer than the others and has been my favorite one to write so far. Thanks to DarkSecrets3 and Raph Is Mine for reviewing, I love hearing your thoughts. Now please enjoy the theirs installment of Unmasked!**

CHAPTER 3

For what felt like an eternity, Leo faded in and out of consciousness. He felt cold, hard hands on his shell and the wind whipping around his face. He heard the sound of rushing water, then the gentle touch of warm hands, then a cool, wet washcloth on his forehead and cheeks, his arms and plastron. He heard the whisper of a voice and the soft pitter-patter of feet. He smelled sweet exotic flowers, and felt the sensation of water trickling on his lips and down his throat. Then he blacked out completely.

LINEBREAKLINEBREAKLINEBREAKILOVETMNTLINEBREAKLINEBREAK!

Leo opened his eyes and returned to the land of the conscious, but almost immediately wished he hadn't and shut them again. He had never been hit by a truck before, but he imagined this is what it felt like. He ached all over and his shoulder felt like it was on fire, a fierce, almost numbing, burning pain.

For a moment, he couldn't remember what had happened, but then it all came rushing back in a flurry of painful memories. He shifted a little, wincing and moaning a bit as a wave of pain washed over him. But that shift told him something very important. He was lying on soft cloths, cotton and silk he guessed. The last thing he remembered, he had been lying on a cold rooftop. He had been found. But by who?

He forced his eyes open once more, this time looking at his surroundings. He was lying on a bed in a corner of the room, on top of black and red covers, propped up into a sitting position on the pillows. A table with various medical supplies lying on them and a chair was on the other side of the small room. There were two doors, a hallway and a bathroom Leo guessed, and a set of double doors he inferred was a closet.

He craned his neck and looked at himself. He cringed. His belt, pads, and sheathes were gone and he was covered with bruises and bandages. His shoulder was wrapped so tightly, it could have been in a cast. He brought his (relatively) uninjured arm up and ever so lightly brushed his wound. A fire flared into an inferno that flew up and down his arm, and he quickly jerked it away. As he did, he caught a whiff of herbs, Japanese healing herbs that his Sensi used whenever the turtles got seriously injured. His confusion and interest was growing. Who on earth knew that they would work AND had them just lying around?

His Sensi. This made him start to worry. How long had he been out? His family must be worried sick. He remembered pressing the panic button on his T-phone, but he also remembered Slash kicking it away. All his phone would lead them to was the rooftop and maybe his swords. Not helpful. He needed to find them, or a way to contact them. But he couldn't do that when he was stuck on a bed alone.

He didn't even know what time it was, or what day. His wounds had been serious. He could have been out for a week, and he wouldn't be able to tell.

For the first time since waking up, he felt impatient and angry, and, well, like Raph. He wanted answers and he wanted them now. But instead he was left here with nothing. Leo quickly got a hold of himself. He should be grateful to whoever had found him. They had obviously treated his wounds and saved his life instead of running off screaming or finishing him. He couldn't expect them to stay at his side the entire time just so they could answer the mutants questions. He owed his savior nothing but gratitude. He just wished they would show up soon.

Almost as if whoever it was had heard his thoughts, the door slowly started to creak open. Leo felt excitement bubble in his chest. Finally he would meet his rescuer. The door moved away, and the last person on earth he would have ever expected walked in.

"Good, you're awake." Said Karai.

"Karai!" Leo gasped in a hoarse voice and tried to scurry out of bed. He failed, partly because the pain in his shoulder made it impossible to move even a foot, and partly because Karai quickly crossed the room and gently, but firmly, pushed him back down.

"Sit still, you idiot! You're going to pull your stitches out!" She growled at him. Leo squirmed under her hands for a few more seconds, then gave up, accepting he wouldn't be getting up anytime soon. He laid back in the pillows, exhausted.

"Stitches?" He panted, catching his breath.

"Yeah, 'bout 30 of them in your shoulder. Whatever you ran into really did a number on you." Karai slowly lifted her hands off Leo's plastron, and seeing that he wasn't going to try to get up again, walked over to the table with the medical supplies.

"Stupid mace." Leo muttered. Karai gave a small smile Leo couldn't see.

"So... Where am I?" Leo asked a little louder.

Karai thought, then smirked as she sorted through the bottles and boxes. "My home away from my home away from home."

Leo rolled his eyes. "Thanks for that extremely clear explanation." He said sarcastically. Then his mind made a connection. Home. Bed. His cheeks went red. "Th-th-this is ya-ya-ya-YOUR room?" He stuttered.

Karai turned around, her arms full of bottles, and grinned evilly at the look on Leo's face. He was blushing so hard!

"No, it's Bradford's." She answered sarcastically as she dumped her supplies on the floor by the bed and grabbed the chair from the other side of the room. Leo's glare told her he did not appreciate the joke.

Karai sat down in the chair and placed a couple of bottles and a tool of bandages in her lap. "I need to reapply these salves to your shoulder, unless you want an infection. So try not to move around." She tenderly slide out the end of the bandage and began to unravel it.

Leo tried to keep a brave face, but flashes of the pain slipped through his facade. Just the act of brushing his wound sent flames of pain through his body. This. This was torture. He grimaced as Karai slide off the bandage, exposing raw-red flesh. But Karai smiled. No sign of infection yet.

Karai handed Leo a thick ball of gauze. "Bite down on this." Leo obliged.

She unscrewed the top off the jar and scooped up a sizable amount of goo. She gently dabbed the gunk on his wound. Leo's muscles tensed up and the sound of his muffled wailing blasted from behind the gauze. He pulled away his arm instinctively, but Karai grabbed it and held it in place.

"Keep it still, I'm trying to help." She said. Tears threatening to spill over, Leo clenched his eyes shut and nodded.

Karai continued to apply the salve, and several others, to his wound. Leo moaned through the entire process, even screaming when Karai rubbed a particularly sore spot, but held still, even as she wrapped new bandages around his shoulder.

"There, done." She mercifully finished her task. Leo spit the gauze out of his mouth.

"Thank goodness for that." He sighed with relief and yawned as he shifted into a more comfortable position in the bed. He was so tired. Being unconscious was apperantly not the same thing as sleeping, something he hadn't done much of in the past few days.

Karai stood up and started for the door. "I'll leave you to get some rest."

"What?!" Leo lifted his head up in shock. "I can't stay here, Karai. I need to get back home. I mean I appreciate you treating my wounds and saving my life, but my brothers - "

"Can survive without you for 2 weeks." Karai cut off bluntly.

"2 weeks?! There is no way I am staying here for weeks."

"You don't have a choice. Your shoulder and your sprained ankle need time to heal. You cannot be up and about."

Leo was growing desperate. "Then let me call my brothers. They can take me home in our van. I won't have to walk an inch."

"What part about a secret Foot clan hideout do you not understand? Face it Leo. You're going to have to stay here until your ankle and shoulder have healed, and that will take at least 2 weeks, possibly more. Now rest. I will see you later." She turned once again to leave.

"Wait! Two questions." Leo called.

"What are they?"

"How long have I been out?"

"I found you around 11:00 pm. It is now noon. Second question?"

Leo looked at her with pleading eyes. "Can you at least let my brothers know I am alive?"

Karai stared at him with cold eyes. "No. They will ask how I know and try to break in to 'save' you, or attack to make me give you up. I can not allow that to happen, or the other Foot might find out." She saw the utterly devastated, grief-filled look on Leo's face, and her eyes softened and she relented. "I will try. But I cannot promise anything."

And with that, she finally took her leave, abandoning Leo to fall asleep, crying softly.

**So, what do you think? Good? Bad? Tell me! I'm not phycic, yet. I want to know! Again, a few seconds of your time means the world to me! And, almost 200 views and only 4 reviews? Kinda pathetic. So please review in the Doors of Orphues below. Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm back! Sorry for the longer wait. The ending of this chapter was giving me some trouble. Thank you to the six people who reviewed since my last update! **

**FearlessLeader77: please go back and read the last paragraph of chapter 3. I loved your review, but I think you missed something and it is important to this chapter.**

**Anyway, to the rest of my fine readers, please read on and enjoy!**

CHAPTER 4

There she was. Finally. The figure had been crouching in the shadows across from Roosevelt High School for what felt like hours. The figure hated being stuck in one place for so long, but a promise was a promise. The figure had promised to try. This was the only way it could think of.

But now its time had come. 'Closer... closer... closer...' It thought as it watched a red-haired girl speedwalk away with a worried expression. 'Now.' The figure released the arrow into the air, got up, and walked away before checking to see where it landed. It knew. 2 feet in front of the girl.

* * *

April stopped dead in her tracks and stared at the arrow that was still quivering from impact (pun not intended). If she had been a couple seconds faster, that arrow would have been buried in her head instead of the soft brick of the hardware looked around and across the street, but there was no sign of the archer. She cast her mind out and listened deeply like Master Splinter had taught her, but she sensed no one. Whoever had fired at her was gone now.

She walked to the arrow and noticed a folded piece of paper tied to it with twine. A message. April undid the knot and examined the paper. There were only three words written on the outside. Three words that hit her like a truck. 'To the turtles.' Short and anything but sweet.

The words sent a chill down April's spine. Someone who knew about the turtles, who knew about her connection to the turtles, had shot that arrow at her. This alone would have been more than enough to worry her, but coupled with the urgent text she got from Donnie, she was outright scared.

Something was going on, something awful. She needed to get to the Lair.

* * *

April ran into the Lair, practically jumping over the turnstiles. "Donnie!" She called.

Donnie zoomed out of his lab and swept her up in a hug. "April! You're okay!" He held her tight, almost choking her.

"Donnie... you're ... choking..." she gasped.

He let her go in a rush and started to blush."Sorry April. I was just worried that something might have happened to you."

"Why, what happened?" April grew even more worried, and all thoughts of the arrow were promptly forgotten. Donnie's face fell. He shut his eyes and let out a deep sigh.

"Leo. He - he - he - he's missing."

All of April's energy drained out her. "Leo..." After Donnie (of course), Leo was the turtle she was 2nd most close to. She laughed at his dorkiness with him and she respected him deeply as a leader, brother, planner, and fighter. He was like an older brother to her, albit one that had come to her for advice about girls. He was always there, steady and constant, like the rising sun. But now he was gone. "No." She whispered and this time April was the one to rush into a hug. "Oh, Donnie." She pulled away and hugged herself, longing for warmth, suddenly cold. "What happened?" She asked as she looked up at him, a hint of tears behind her blue eyes.

"Last night we were coming back from patrol. Leo said he was going to go and think for awhile, like he does sometimes, and sent us back home. 15 minutes later, I got an alert on my T-phone that Leo had hit the panic button on his. It took us 30 minutes to get to his position. We found his phone and his swords, but not Leo. Only his- " Donnie's voice cracked. "Only his blood. From the look of the scene, someone or something attacked him with a lot of force, then left him there unconscious, where someone or something else picked him up and carried him away."

April found this all hard to take in. She sat down on the couch and felt something poke her leg. She reached in her pocket and pulled out the note from the arrow. "Donnie, I just remembered. When I was leaving school today, someone shot an arrow near me." She decided not to tell him that the arrow had been level with her head. No need to make even more overprotective than he already was. "There was a note tied to it." She handed him the paper. "Maybe it has something to do with Leo."

"To the turtles." Donnie muttered.

"Speaking of turtles, where are Raph and Mikey?" April asked.

"In bed. We were up all night searching for Leo. Don't worry, if the note is important I'll wake them up." Donnie answered as he unfolded the paper. His eyes grew wide and continued to do so as he read the message.

"Wake Raph and Mikey?"

"Wake Raph and Mikey." Donnie said, nodding numbly.

* * *

"Whassamaer?" Mikey grumbled as he plopped into a seat next to an equally tired Raph.

"We have information on Leo." Donnie said dramatically, waving the paper in the air. That woke them up.

"What? Who is it? Who took our brother?!" Raph jumped to his feet and yelled. April had seen Raph mad before, but this was a whole new level of fury. Raph was furious, more than he had ever been.

"Be quiet and I'll tell you what we know." Donnie snapped. "Sorry, I'm just a bit stressed. Okay. April was sent a note via arrow, a note about Leo. It says..." Donnie cleared his throat and began to read:

"Your brother Leo is alive, but has been seriously injured, not by me. Because of these injuries, it would be best for his health to stay where he is until they have healed. I will contact you when he is well enough to be retrieved, which will hopefully be in a couple of weeks. He wishes to say he is fine, not to worry, and that he will see you as soon as he can."

Donnie stops. "That's it. There's no signature." For a moment, all was still.

Then Raph exploded."Best for his health to stay where he is?! Do this psycho really think we're going to leave him with a person that won't even sign their name? I say we find this wackbag and get Leo back!"

"Hang on Raph. If Leo really can't be moved, and based on the evidence it seems very likely, then going after him could do more harm than good." Donnie reasoned, getting to his feet.

"So you just want to leave him with who-knows-who?"

"I didn't say that! I just think we need to be cautious. We don't even know who has him."

"Really, cause it sounds like that's exactly what you said. And how hard can it be to figure out?"

"QUIET! Both of you!" April snapped, stepping between them. "You're upsetting Mikey." She added in a lower voice.

The two turtles looked over to their brother. The little turtle was curled up in a ball on the couch, hugging his legs tightly. Tears were streaming down his face and clouding his normally bright sky blue eyes. "Oh Mikey." Donnie whispered, and they both sat down on either side side of Mikey, wrapping their arms around him.

"It'll be okay, Mikey. We'll find him." Raph said.

"L-Leo's hu-hurt. And ya-you're just au-arguing." Mikey choked. Donnie looked guiltily at Raph. It was true. They didn't even stop to worry aloud about Leo.

"We're sorry Mikey. We are worried. We're worried a lot. That's why we were arguing. We want to help him, but we're not sure how. Right, Raph?" Donnie asked pointedly at Raph.

"Right. We're worried, that's all." Raph agreed. The turtles scooted a little closer together.

"Don't cry Mikey. We'll find him. Leo'll be back here before we know it. I promise." Donnie whispered.

"Yes. We will." A fatherly voice came from the direction of the dojo.

"Sensi! How long have you been standing there?" Raph asked.

"Long enough." Master Splinter walked to Mikey, squatted down to his level, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't not worry, Michelangelo. We will be reunited with Leonardo. But for now, we must wait until we know more, or Leonardo could be put in danger. Do you understand, my sons?"

"Hai, Sensi." The brothers chorused.

"Bu-but we wa-won't st-stop l-looking, ri-right?" Mikey asked.

"Of course we won't stop looking! You just need to be careful. Rushing in blindly to a situation you do not fully understand can have disastrous consequences."

"Hai, Sensi."

Splinter looked at his sons and noticed that all of them were a bit teary-eyed, even Raph and Donnie, despite their words to Mikey. "April, would you like to join me some training?"

"Sure Sensi." April bowed and followed Master Splinter into the dojo.

The brothers remained on the couch, huddled together, feeling the loss of their brother. Usually when they were sad, they would go to Leo, even Raph. As their big brother, he had a calming presence that seemed to make everything okay. But now that fact just reminded them of why they were sad.

Tears began falling from every turtles eyes. They wanted their brother, more than anything else they wanted Leo here with them. But he wasn't. He was out there somewhere, hurt and with an unknown.

_Oh Leo, please come home_.

_We'll find you_.

_Leo... We need you. I need you._

_Leo. We'll bring you home._

**Chapter 4 complete. Yes, if you look back at chap. 3, Karai says she will try to let his brothers know he's alive. Sorry if i misled you, but i wanted to write their reactions. Chapter 5 will probably take a while to write. I've started on it, but it doesn't seem to want to cooperate. I'll do my best to get it to you, though. PLEASE REVIEW! **

***pulls out pocketwatch and starts swinging it* you are getting very sleepy...very sleepy...when i snap my fingers you will give an honest review...*snaps fingers***

**So anyway Please review and have a good one!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I know, I know, it's been, what, a month? Two months? Too long since my last update. But I've had so many other ideas (look at my profile if you don't believe me) and this chapter simply refused to cooperate. I wanted Leo and Karai to bond! You know how hard that is! Well in a burst of perseverance, I stole my sister's tablet, sat down, and cranked this out. I don't think it's good enough to justify the wait, but I hope you enjoy it.**

CHAPTER 5

Slowly, Leo drifted out of the sea of dreams and unawareness back to reality. For one of the first times in his life since he was little, he could just lie in bed with his eyes shut, and he did so, savoring the warmth and comfort of the soft bed and sheets cradling his battered form.

A small creaking noise, so soft, yet so loud to Leo's trained ear, caught his attention, and Leo pried open his heavy eyelids. Karai stood in the doorway once again, leaning against the door frame.

"Good morning." Leo yawned, rubbing his eyes.

She smiled, just a little. "It's seven at night."

"It's morning somewhere." Leo protested as he slowly and carefully sat up, finding as long as he didn't move it, the pain in his shoulder was somewhat tolerable. Hurt like shell, but was tolerable.

Karai moved to the table of supplies and grabbed the salves and bandages.

"Not again." Leo groaned, aware of how childish he sounded.

"Yes again. But not your shoulder, just your arms and legs." Karai smirked and said slowly, patronizingly. Leo breathed a playfully exaggerated sigh of relief and handed Karai a bruised arm. With expert speed, Karai began unraveling the bandages and rubbing in goop on the larger cuts.

Leo tried staying awake, but even though he had slept for seven hours, he was still exhausted from everything. And the cool of the creams and the smooth, gentle, rhythmic rubbing of Karai's small hands were extremely soothing. So soothing, Leo found himself slipping into sleep once more, leaning against the wall.

Karai knew the moment Leo nodded off. His breathing grew deeper and steadier, his muscles relaxed and his expression became peaceful, a image enhanced by the lack of his mask. Many, many, MANY times these last 20 hours, Karai had stopped and wondered what the heck she was doing, and why. If Shredder ever found out, his wrath would be terrible. Karai shuddered just thinking about it. Being his daughter would not spare her much pain.

But then when she checked on Leo, lying so helplessly on her bed and covered in bandages, she felt that same pang in her chest, and she knew she had to help him. Oddly enough, without his mask, Leo looked less like the ninja deciphal of the hated Hamato Yoshi, and more like someone else. He looked more like... Leo.

Karai finished her task and wrapped new bandages over the more serious cuts. She took the old bloody ones and stuffed them in the trash can in the bathroom, making a note to incinerate the trash bag as soon as possible. She replaced her medical supplies on the table, taking her time making sure they were in order.

She turned around to see wide open stormy blue eyes staring at her and she jumped a little. "Don't do that." She snarled, a little peeved at herself for jumping.

"Sorry." Leo apologized, his eyes twinkling mischievously and the corners of his mouth twitching upwards.

"Hmph." Karai huffed, and was about to leave when a loud rumbling filled the room.

"What was that?" Karai asked, staring at Leo.

"Uh, it was my stomach." Leo said, slightly embarrassed. "I haven't eaten since lunch and that was, what? 27 hours ago?" Karai mentally slapped herself. Duh.

"What do mutant turtles eat?" She asked aloud, and nearly laughed at Leo's slightly offended expression.

"Same thing you do. Anything is fine." He thought for a moment. Only one thing sounded good to him right now. "Do - do you have any soup?" When he was younger and sick, Master Splinter had fixed him soup to eat and brought it to his room. It had been a treat, and always made him feel better. Leo was homesick for those days.

Karai shrugged. "I don't know, I'll look." She left the room and Leo let his face fall. He missed home so much, and he hadn't even been gone a day. The prospect of being away from his brothers for another 2 weeks filled him with sorrow. And being stuck on the bed for most of that time wasn't inviting either. He couldn't sleep the entire time.

Why was Karai doing this? He wondered. Judging from what he had seen of his wounds, he would have died if she hadn't helped him, and of course he was grateful and glad she did. But...why? She viewed them as enemies now; her recent actions and words proved that. So why would she save his life? Why would she continue to heal him? Why?

Leo felt a twinge of guilt. It was his fault that they were at this point, that she was such a bitter enemy. He had gone against his better judgement and betrayed her trust as a result. Why had he been so stupid? He had had her in his grasp, so close to getting her on the good side, and he threw it away. He never even apologized for it, he realized.

Why on earth would Karai help him? She was risking Shredder finding out, and he guessed Shredder wouldn't be okay with it. Shredder would torture her if he found out; yet she was doing it anyway.

Maybe, Leo dared to think, maybe there was a chance she had some good in her. Maybe.

The door opened to reveal Karai balancing two bowls of soup. "You're in luck. I found a couple of cans of chicken noodle stuck in the very back of the cabinet." She sat one down on his lap, a spoon drifting around the edge. A delicious aroma rose from the soup and made Leo's mouth water.

"Arigato." He said as he lifted the spoon to his mouth and took a hesitant sip. It was warm and delicious. Leo could feel the soup's heat as it traveled down his throat and warmed his body. "Thank you." He thanked her again, this time in English, while taking another sip.

"It's just soup." Karai shrugged his thanks off as she took a sip of her own. "And bad soup at that." She added, making a face.

"I guess anything tastes good after an attack." Leo said, spooning even more of the warm soup into his mouth. He personally liked the taste, but maybe it was just because he was hungry.

Karai started to turn and head for the door, but to both her and Leo's surprise, Leo said, "Wait."

She looked over her shoulder and scowled. "What?"

"Wo-would you care to stay with me? For awhile?"

Karai blinked in surprise. "What? Why?"

Leo thought for a second, then smirked at her. "Because you're the first thing in this room that doesn't bore me."

Karai smirked back. "Funny. Alright, I've got nothing better to do than dine with a mutant." She sat down on the edge of the bed, cradling the bowl of soup in her lap.

"So, are you ever going to tell me what pounded you to pieces?" Leo's mouth twisted into a scowl and his eyes blazed with intensity that surprised Karai.

"Slash." He said shortly and went back to something more pleasant, namely, his soup.

"And who is Slash?" Karai pried a bit more.

"A mutant. Raph's old pet."

"What happened?"

"Raph took Donnie's supply of mutagen away after he nearly blew up the Lair. It spilled and Slash, known then as Spike, mutated."

"So then why did he attack you if he was your pet?" Karai asked, now genuinely interested.

"He wasn't our pet, he was Raph's. Meaning Raph often vented to him. He hates me, Donnie, and Mikey. Something about holding Raph back. I guess all the times Raph complained to him about us really stuck with him and mutating warped his mind and gave him a way to do something about. He nearly killed Donnie and Mikey and took their masks as trophies. I guess it was my turn."

"Harsh. So what is Slash?" Leo winced. Karai would have a field day with this.

"He's a turtle."

Karai gaped. "Your brother had a turtle as a pet?"

He nodded.

"But you are turtles."

"Yeah."

She shook her head. "That's weird."

"Hey, we couldn't let the poor turtle die in the sewers."

"So there's another one of you running around?"

"Actually, he looks nothing like us. He's a ton bigger and taller and is just more monster like."

"Uh-huh. Well, I'll look out for this monster turtle of yours."

"Good luck with that." Leo rolled his eyes. "He's been watching us all these years. He knows our fighting styles and exactly how we think and feel. He also knows how to take down an enemy, especially one that's brought up often."

"You bring me up often?" She cocked her head.

Leo stiffened. Crap. What did he say that for? "Uh, no, not exactly, I mean, no. Not more than anyone else we fight. You should hear how much Raph brings up Spyder Bitez."

"Who?"

So that led to Leo telling Karai about the grumpy, greedy old man who had captured them on video and gotten mutated, which led to what had happened around the same time.

"So - haha - let me - haha - get this straight. You -haha- started shooting -haha- arrows at him - haha - and insulting him?" Karai asked between laughs.

Leo chuckled. "Yeah. It was Sensei's idea, but we had no trouble going along with it. Something about trying to get Raph to control his anger."

"Did it work?"

"In the short term? Yeah, a bit. In the long run?" Leo shook his head. "Not a smidge. If anything, it's probably worse."

Karai smirked a little. "I sent a message." She then said abruptly. At Leo's puzzled glance she added, "To your brothers. They know you're alive and won't be home for a couple of weeks."

"Really?"

Karai rolled her eyes. "Yes, really. They don't know it's me who has you. I figured if I told them that they would probably come bursting through the front doors trying to find you."

Leo nodded, conceding the point. "Yes, probably. Thank you. I'll sleep better knowing that."

"You're welcome." Karai said, surprised he even bothered to thank her. Then again, she really shouldn't. Leo was funny like that.

Karai looked down at their bowls and saw they were both empty. She scooped both of them up and dumped them in the small kitchen they had put in the dojo before returning to where Leo was.

"I have training in 15 minutes, then patrol. I'll be back around midnight. I suggest you sleep." She said flatly.

"Um, okay, but Karai -" Leo's question stopped her from leaving for the third time that day.

"What?" She asked, a little exasperated.

"Um, where will you sleep, if this is your room?" Karai paled, then blushed. He had a point. The mutant had a very good point.

"Um, I co-could sl-sleep in the b-bathtub o-or th-the fl-floor o-or something." Leo stammered, a pink tint filling his cheeks.

"No. I want you healed as soon as possible. Sleeping in a bathtub or on the floor will just drag it out." Karai put her head in her hand and closed her eyes in frustration. Who knew that hiding your sworn enemy in your house would be so _hard?_

"I'll sleep on the floor. I'll find some spare blankets and pillows somewhere." She came to a snap decision.

"Are you sure? I can sleep on the floor; it'd be no problem." Leo tried to convince her, blushing furiously.

"I'm sure. I want you out of here as soon as mutantly possible, so you will sleep on a real bed. I've slept on worse than the floor." Karai turned on her heel and without obstruction marched out of the room, slamming the door behind her, her face burning red.

* * *

Donnie focused his microscope once more, then slumped in his seat. It was no use. He had been at this all night and found nothing. Whoever wrote the note was good; maybe too good. Donnie had been staring at it at a microscopic level for hours and had come up with absolutely zilch about who wrote it. The handwriting was steady with no defining quirks, there were no marks or stains, there were no fingerprints, no nothing. It was hopeless.

April walked up behind him and looked over his shoulder. "Any luck?"

"Nothing." Donnie sighed. "Whoever wrote this was super careful not to leave anything that could help me trace it back to the source." He banged his fist aganst the tabletop. "It's so frustating. This is the only link we have to Leo's location, and there's nothing we can use."

April thought for a moment. "Well, maybe we can logically figure this out. Whoever this is has to both know about my connection to you and be able to hold a pen and write with it. That can't be many people."

"You're right April! You're absolutely right!" Donnie jumped to his feet and gave her a humongous hug, spinning her around. "You're the best!" Donniee sat a dizzy April back down and rushed off to get paper for a list.

"You're welcome!" She called to his retreating shell, teteering on her feet.

* * *

Karai drifted down the hall, arms full of blankets and a couple of pillows, and stopped in front of her room. Never before had she been so hesitant to enter. _Oh, get a grip! You're a highly trained kunoichi! There's no reason to be nervous about bunking in the same room as a mutant. Even if he is a guy. _

With that pep-talk, Karai cracked open the door. She was in luck. Leo was sound asleep, even snoring lightly. Karai bit back a laugh and slipped inside without a sound. She made a small bed out of her blankets, stuck a knife under her pillow (like always), then stalked to her closet. Feeling slightly self-concious, she picked out a loose silk T-shirt and a matching pair of capris. She ducked into the bathroom and changed quickly, making sure the door was locked behind her. She ducked back out and set her armor and patrol outfit back in her closet.

She knelt down to the floor and crawled under her covers. She laid there for about a minute, just about to drift off when she heard a quiet, soft voice.

"Goodnight Karai. Sweet dreams."

Karai smiled and rolled her eyes at the cornyness of his farewell for the night. So typical of Leo's character, to wish her a good sleep.

"Goodnight Leo." She whispered back.

**Reviews? Anyone? Good? Bad? Anything? Worth continuing? I need feedback for my muse to survive in its crevice in the dark aybss in my mind.**

**Happy National Star Wars Day! (May the 4th be with you!)**

**-Katana**


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